The benchmark KOSPI is climbing faster than expected toward an unprecedented 5,000 points, with analysts Wednesday projecting it could reach the milestone as early as the first quarter of this year. The index has broken the all-time closing high in each of the first four trading days of the year, finishing at 4,309.63 points Friday, 4,457.52 on Monday and 4,525.48 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, KOSPI briefly climbed above the 4,600-point mark, reaching an intraday high of 4,611.72 before closing at 4,551.06 points, hitting another all-time high. In particular, KOSPI’s step-by-step climb along the 100-point marks — 4,300, 4,400, 4,500 and 4,600 — has been rarely seen, prompting analysts to revise their forecasts and suggest that the index could reach 5,000 points within the first three months of 2026. Many analysts have agreed that the milestone is within reach this year, citing KOSPI’s 75.62 percent gain in 2025 — the highest among major economies. “I bet President Lee Jae Myung will be most surprised by KOSPI’s accelerated rally,” said Jung Eui-jung, head of the Korean Stockho